Photo Vogue
Over the past two seasons of New York Fashion Week, I had the opportunity to work backstage as a dresser for AKNVAS. Following the February 2024 season, a friend introduced me to Hannah Turner-Harts, a Brooklyn and Salt Lake City based photographer also assisting backstage for AKNVAS. Hannah and I connected via Instagram, and she invited me to collaborate with her.
Hannah provided a Pinterest board full of inspiration and asked me to find a model for the shoot. I enlisted my friend, Sunni Taiese, to join us. My focus then turned to styling Sunni to align with Hannah's vision, which centered around sheer, flowy gowns.
As a stylist, I am passionate about thrifting and upcycling. Thrift stores are my first stop for styling shoots, offering unique items and incredible deals. I found this dress by House of Harlow 1960, originally retailing for $248, at my local Plato’s Closet for just $18. This exceptional find was the perfect dress for our shoot at the Bonneville Salt Flats.
On the day of the shoot, Sunni and I traveled two hours to the salt flats to meet Hannah. We planned to shoot in the late afternoon to capture the sunset. The flats were flooded due to recent rain, which enhanced our concept perfectly. Inspired by a scene from the 1998 movie "The Parent Trap," where Annie and Hallie push their dad's fiancée's air mattress into a lake while she was sleeping, we aimed to create a similarly artistic shot.
We dressed Sunni, placed her on an air mattress, and captured stunning photos against the ethereal sunset backdrop. The shoot felt like framing a dream, and the three of us were often excited by how everything was coming together. This experience was truly special.
Shortly after, Hannah submitted one of the photos to Photo Vogue. When she shared the exciting news that it had been selected and posted on Vogue.com, it felt like a significant achievement. This photoshoot demonstrated the potential for artistic creation I can contribute to and reaffirmed my abilities as a stylist. Now that I have some work posted on Vogue.com, I’ve got my eyes on styling a cover for Vogue one day and going to manifest and speak it into existence!
Photographer: Hannah Turner-Harts (@hannahtharts)
Stylist: Robin Uata (@lobeynii)
Model: Sunni Taiese (@sunni_taiese)